Have you ever come home from a trip and found yourself thinking about it every day? That is where I am with Ireland. I am smitten.
I traveled in August and spent a week on an Ireland guided tour with CIE Tours. Yes, a bus tour. You might be a little surprised to hear that from someone who designs private, custom journeys for a living. But it turned out to be a wonderful way to get a taste of the country.
There were forty of us on the bus, and our driver, Colm, was also our tour director, guide, and logistics coordinator. How he kept us all happy and entertained for an entire week, I will never know. He was superhuman.
But what stayed with me most about Ireland was the way people could turn an encounter into a story, and a story into something I am still thinking about long after coming home.
On a separate day trip from Dublin to Northern Ireland with Wild Rover Tours, our guide, Daithi, had us enthralled. He told us about his first visit to Belfast at forty-two, and how afraid he had been that his North Dublin accent would give him away the moment he spoke. Hearing that fear described so personally made the history feel close in a way a book never had.
Then he told us about a gentleman on one of his tours who had brought his wife’s ashes to scatter along the coast of Northern Ireland. The man asked whether it was allowed. Daithi’s response was that he did not know, but he was going to help him.
The way he told that story brought us to tears. I cannot do his telling justice here. But I remember the care in it: a man arriving with something deeply personal to do, and a guide willing to help him find his way through it.
That warmth was part of what I fell in love with.
And then there was the landscape.
At the Giant’s Causeway, we walked above the ocean before following the trail down toward the stone pillars. Everything was green beneath a bright blue sky, with a chilly wind blowing around us. We were lucky with the weather throughout the trip: beautiful sunshine, though the wind regularly reminded us to keep another layer handy. Irish summer!
Standing there, you really could imagine a giant walking across those pillars. There always seemed to be a story or a bit of folklore attached to what we were seeing. It opened my imagination. I found myself looking a little longer, picturing what might have inspired the stories in the first place.
Blarney Castle brought its own adventure. Kissing the Blarney Stone was a little terrifying. Leaning backward over an opening to kiss a stone is certainly one way to make a vacation memorable.
But the gardens were what stayed with me longest.
We wandered through dark, almost eerie stretches of woodland, filled with interesting trees. Then we would step out into a garden overflowing with flowers. Just when I thought I had a sense of the place, we stumbled into something entirely different: the poison garden.
Who knew a garden could be so beautiful and so unsettling? The signs introduced plants that could cause harm, some of which also had medicinal uses. Being from California, I laughed when I spotted cannabis growing there with its warning sign. The whole experience felt wonderfully suited to a place so rich in folklore: beauty, mystery, and a reason to pay attention to what was growing beside you.
And the castles. I love castles, and Ireland gave me plenty to love, from weathered ruins along the way to a stay at Clontarf Castle near Dublin. Every one seemed to invite another story.
The music, though, pulled me right into the middle of things.
At the Merry Ploughboys in Dublin, audience participation was very much part of the evening. At one point, we had to clap in rhythm. If you were off, they called you out.
You can probably guess where this is going.
I was off. I ended up onstage.
They were so sweet about it, and the crowd made me feel welcomed and appreciated. I came away with a hat, a CD, and a memory that still makes me smile. I would go back just to laugh and sing again.
That is the kind of experience I love finding when I travel. Something you could never fully capture in a photograph, but that becomes one of the first stories you tell when you get home.
I went to Ireland excited to see the scenery and castles. I came home thinking about a storyteller’s compassion, a landscape that made room for giants, and a roomful of strangers cheering me on while I failed to keep the beat.
For me, that is how travel can change us. Sometimes it happens quietly: we open up, let ourselves join in, or come home seeing something a little differently.
Would I Take an Ireland Guided Tour Again?
CIE Tours gave me a wonderful introduction to Ireland. Having someone handle the logistics meant I could relax, take it in, and enjoy the people I was traveling with. I would go back tomorrow. Next time, I would spend longer in a few regions, with more time for gardens, music, and whatever unexpected discoveries came along.
Because when you are in love, a taste is never quite enough.
Finding those experiences is what I love about designing travel for other people, too. Whether you choose an Ireland guided tour with CIE Tours or a private trip built around your interests, I would love to help you discover the places and moments you will carry home.
If Ireland is calling, let’s talk. You can schedule a complimentary consultation at sparkfuljourneys.com or reach me at hello@sparkfuljourneys.com.
